Tuberculosis (TB)
BD Sponsors One-of-a-Kind Campaign to Raise Awareness of XDR-TB (Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis)
BD, in cooperation with TED, a group that supports ideas by "forward thinking" people, is supporting an unprecedented global awareness campaign on Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB), a TB strain that is the result of inadequate diagnosis and treatment. As the lead sponsor, BD has played an instrumental role in the campaign, designed to use photography to inform and motivate individuals around the world, spreading the word about the urgent need to eradicate TB. The campaign was launched when images conveying the plight of people inflicted with TB were projected onto monumental outdoor spaces in major cities throughout the world. The photos, taken by world renowned photojournalist James Nachtwey (pronounced: knocked-way) and assembled as a three minute slideshow, appeared alongside high-impact messaging that talked about a disease that is sometimes impossible to cure. A website, XDRTB.org, has been developed by TED as a go-to point for viewing, downloading and sharing the slideshow. The site will also enlighten the public about XDR-TB and what’s being done about it, and suggest how to take action by "Joining the Movement." The awareness campaign is the result of Nachtwey being one of three recipients of this year's TED Prize. The need for improved TB diagnostics The rapid and accurate diagnosis of symptomatic patients is the cornerstone of global strategies for TB control. TB is challenging to diagnose and difficult to treat, especially in the developing world which bears 95% of the global disease burden. Inaccurate diagnosis has spurred the rapid spread of TB and drug resistance especially in HIV/AIDS patients. |
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According to The World Health Organization (WHO) there are an estimated nine million new cases of active TB reported each year. TB results in approximately two million deaths each year and is the leading cause of death among HIV/AIDS patients. Strains of TB that are resistant to both first-line and second-line drugs threaten the success of not only tuberculosis programs, but also HIV treatment programs worldwide.
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The testing method used almost universally in the developing world, the sputum acid-fast smear, is more than 115 years old. It is largely ineffective in identifying TB in HIV/AIDS patients because the majority of these patients have too few TB bacterium in their sputum to readily observe under a microscope. As a result, false negative tests are very common, leading to inappropriate treatment. This contributes to the continued rapid spread of TB and also expands the incidence of drug resistance.
While multiple drug-resistant forms of TB have been a problem for some time, a more recent and alarming trend is the emergence of XDR-TB, where patients do not respond to first- or second-line drug treatments for TB.
The ultimate goal of providing a more up-to-date TB diagnostic tool for the 21st century is the focus of ongoing research and development. However, the expanding TB/HIV epidemics and the increasing of drug resistant TB, have led to a need for improved diagnostics that complement each other. While no single diagnostic test provides all the information needed for patient care over the disease progression, several technologies exist today that can help reduce the spread of TB and its mortality rate.
A Unique Organization
So who is TED and what exactly are they about? TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds, and while its scope has broadened, its mission remains the same: Spreading ideas.
The TED Conference, where fifty speakers present their ideas over four days, is still the heart of TED.
The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED Community's exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who each receive $100,000 and, more important, the granting of "One Wish to Change the World."
TEDTalks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at TED with the world. Under the moniker "ideas worth spreading," talks were released online. They rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. Indeed, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website has been reengineered around TEDTalks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world's most inspiring voices.
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A Master Points His Lens Towards Global Health
James Nachtwey is one of the world's greatest photojournalists. As a war photographer for many years he not only made a name for himself, he become one of the most respected photojournalists of this era. Seven years ago he cemented his legacy with his devastating images of 9/11.
Acknowledged with numerous awards throughout his career, Nachtwey has been a contract photographer with Time Magazine since 1984, and continues to be a regular contributor to National Geographic.
As a winner of the 2007 TED Prize, James received "one wish to change the world." His wish was "to break a story that the world needs to know about in a way that will provide spectacular proof of the power of news photography." That story is TB. Specifically, XDR-TB.